Seabury Hall’s Tulsi Erlemann digs the ball against Molokai in the MIL girls volleyball Division II championship game Friday at Seabury Hall. The Spartans won in three sets. The Maui News/Eli Pace

The Seabury Hall girls volleyball team reclaimed the Maui Interscholastic League Division II crown Friday night at home, sweeping Molokai 25-15, 25-22, 25-17 in the league tournament’s championship game.

After finishing second in the MIL a year ago to Maui Prep, the Spartans left no questions about who sits atop the pecking order after finishing regular-season play and the MIL tournament with a 17-0 record.

“I feel great,” senior Delaney Tauaese said after the championship match. “We’ve worked so hard this season, and it’s been a rollercoaster — it’s been a lot of fun. You know, last season we didn’t get the result that we wanted, but this year, we came back stronger and just ready to go.”

With only a few four-set matches all season — most against Maui Prep — nearly all of Seabury’s 17 victories came in straight sets. For junior setter Destiny Keomaka-Wood, the outcome was never in doubt.

“We knew we had it from the beginning,” she said of the league championship. “We talked about it. We work hard in practice. We knew it from Day One when we stepped on the court. That was our whole mentality throughout the season.”

Seabury Hall’s Destiny Keomaka-Wood sets the ball as the Spartans play Molokai. The Maui News/Eli Pace

As their reward, Seabury advanced to the Hawaii High School Athletic Association State Championship with a first-round bye. The Spartans will take the court again today against the winner of the first-round game between Hawaii Baptist and Kaimuki, which was played Wednesday night.

Senior outside hitter Clia Kafka has been another key piece for the Spartans, and she expects Seabury to make waves on Oahu and compete for a state title.

“I’m so proud of our team,” she said. “It’s a really young team, but we were able to come together, and we built so much trust. We built such a strong team, and it’s really amazing to see everyone step into their roles and play together.”

The Spartans are enjoying having Kafka back in the lineup after she was sidelined for about a month with a fractured finger on her right hand. To get back on the court, Kafka had to teach herself to play volleyball with her left hand while her right was healing.

On Friday, she said she’s feeling good going into the Hawaii High School Athletic Association’s Division II state tournament and doesn’t have any lingering issues with the finger.

Seabury Hall senior outside hitter Clia Kafka records a kill as the Spartans play Molokai. The Maui News/Eli Pace

In addition to the players’ hard work and ability, Spartans coach Lecca Roberts credited the team’s success to the entire coaching staff, a strong preseason schedule against top competition, and the depth of Maui’s volleyball community.

Roberts said the focus on volleyball and depth of coaching across all levels in Maui County is paying off not just on her squad, but across the MIL.

“None of this is possible without all the coaches they’ve had,” Roberts said. “The coaching is getting better and better, and the volleyball is getting better across the board. It’s a collective, and I’m grateful for it. People want to compete and they want to make each other better.”

Some of the seniors on the team said Friday night’s victory was made even sweeter because they’ve been with Roberts, who coached them on JV before varsity, for all four years of their high school careers.

Seabury Hall sophomore Milaniakai Padilla) records a kill as the Spartans play Molokai in the Maui Interscholastic League girls volleyball Division II championship match on Friday at Seabury Hall. The Maui News/Eli Pace

However, it might have been Roberts who had the best compliment of the night.

“I honestly think that this group of girls has taught me more about life and about people, and about honestly, just being good friends and good humans and working hard,” she said. “(They are) some of the hardest workers I know; it’s been a joy to be with them.”

At 13-5 after the MIL tournament, Molokai defeated Lanai 25-23, 21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-8, in a playoff Saturday to finish runnerup and claim the MIL’s second slot in the state tournament. The Farmers lost to Kau in the opening round Wednesday night.

On Oct. 23, Seabury Hall beat Maui Prep in the MIL tournament’s semifinal round. The Spartans won 25-16, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21. Sophomore Milaniakai Padilla racked up 15 kills and 25 digs against the Pueo, both game-highs.

Keomaka-Wood recorded 36 assists. Dillon McLellan and Kafka each added 10 kills for the Spartans. Kafka also had 14 digs, and Tulsi Erlemann logged 11 assists and 20 digs.